Railroad-spike



(No Model.)

0. D. WALOOTT. RAILROAD SPIKE.

No. 461,300. Patented Oct. 13,1891.

ATTORNEYS a WITNESSE;

MM E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES D. \VALCOTT, OF RUSSIA, NEXV YORK.

RAILROAD-SPIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,300, dated October 13, 1891 Application filed March 25, 1891. Serial No. 386,382. (No model.)

vertical vibratory motion thereof, and at the same time be simple and economic in construction.

Figure l is a side view spike. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section showing it embedded in the wood and the disposition of the fiber of the wood about the same.

A represents the body of the spike which is round in cross-section, and provided with a head D, of the ordinary form of standard railroad-spike.

B is the point,which is beveled oflf orcurved upon the same side as the lip l of the head for the purpose ofethrowing said lip more positively against the base of the rail when the spike is driven.

Upon one side of the spike, the side next to the lip Z of the head, there are formed two projecting ribs a a, of angular shape, with their outer edges or apices reaching to a line tangent to the shank, as in Fig. 2. Upon the opposite side of the spike is the single rib so. These ribs run parallel with the shank or body of the spike, and throughout the greater portion of the length of the same.

The advantages of the round form of spike are known, and it has been desirable to utilize them; but with a plain round spike it is impossible to prevent them from rotating in being driven. The advantages aiforded by the round spike are that it does not cut the grain of the wood, and the fiber of the latter pinches and binds tighter against the same, giving it great holding power, while the of my improved ribs projecting away from the rounded contour bury in the Wood and prevent the rotation of the spike, and at the same time give an. increased bearingsurface and frictional contact that gives the spike greater holding power. The two tangentialribs a a also serve a special function in that they give a fiat bearing against the base of the rail, (represented by line 0 0,) and thereby insure the proper placing of the spike, and guiding of it down as it descends into the Wood without turning axially.

Although this spike possesses great advantages as to holding power, its configuration is such as to permit it to be withdrawn and reused when necessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. A spike having a round body portion of equal transverse dimensions throughout its length and having upon one side two longitudinal ribs a, a, arranged parallel to each other and extending away from the circle of the body portion to a tangential line to the latter, substantially as shown and described.

2. A s'pike having a round body portion with a head projecting upon one side to form a lip Z and having its point B beveled or inclined upon the same side of the spike as the lip Z, and having also upon the same side with the said lip and bevel two parallel longitudinal ribs a to, extending away from the circle of the spike to a tangential line, substantially as shown and described.

3. A spike having a round body portion with lip Z and bevel B upon the same side, and having also two longitudinal parallel ribs a a on this side extending out to the tangential line, and having a third rib a: on the opposite side, substantially as shown and described.

CHARLES D. XVALCOTT.

Witnesses:

H. B. STEVENS, JOSEPH S. HUNN. 

